


The Master Had a Reason, Life is His to Take or Give

by somedayisours



Category: True Grit (2010), Westworld (TV)
Genre: -Ish, Crossover, Gen, I'll probably rewrite this, Internal Monologue, It's Westworld y'all, None of them can really die so..., Temporary Character Death, This is an old one, Time Loop, i actually hate this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 22:27:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18600655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/somedayisours/pseuds/somedayisours
Summary: He could be more than he was before at any given point in time.





	The Master Had a Reason, Life is His to Take or Give

**Author's Note:**

> Title from the song "The Master's Call" by Marty Robins. "The Master's Call" is one of my favourite songs, it's definitely my favourite of Marty Robins'.

_He's drunk—he's always drunk—_

He's meant to be drunk when he shoots Frank Ross for simply being in his way. Sometimes he shoots Frank Ross as he has since near the beginning of—his—time only to be repaid by someone he's never caught sight of shooting him in the back a moment after he's done exactly that. There are times where he never leaves the saloon, where he lays ignored on the over-polished floor leaking blood while the guest orders a drink from the gruff man eternally polishing the bar with a new-old rag. And sometimes, those very rare times, there's no Frank Ross there at all for him to shoot. He's sure to find someone else because they want him to.

There are even times when Pepper grows tired of him and shoots him because he's more trouble than he's worth. But Pepper is just a shade of a man that Tom Chaney followed once, a pale mimicry of someone he can only recall by their name and the blood still staining his hands. He doesn't like to think of Wyatt.

Standing in the cold river steam with Mattie Ross stood across from him as she's done occasionally, the girl shoots him, the kickback from the revolver sending her sprawling into the shallow water. She keeps ahold of her gun this time, even keeping it out of the water. Maybe there was still hope for her to make it out this time around.

She's failed before, failed to shoot him that is. She's fumbled with the revolver for even longer, dropped it in the river before she could shoot him, shot and missed, and only once she's killed him dead right there. Mattie's stood defenseless with him on the other side of the river as she's forgotten the gun back at camp with Rooster Cogburn. That has to have been the worst time he's sure.

The wound doesn’t bleed too much, all the blood in his veins is dry and hard, he thinks. But he doesn't die—even though he should—and it's that strange.

_He's never angry though, he doesn't think they made him with the ability to feel hate like that little girl does._

**Author's Note:**

> If I ever get off my ass and write that sequel that was originally intended to be the prequel to this I’ll make sure to post it.


End file.
